European Ethanol Production Climbs 71% in 2006

8 April 2007

European ethanol production rose 71% in 2006 to around 1.56 billion liters (412 million gallons US), according to data published by eBio, the European Bioethanol Fuel Association.

Germany had the highest production at 431 million liters, representing 27% of the European total. Spain was a close second at 402 million liters and 26% of the market total. France’s internal ethanol production has grown strongly, now 250 million liters or 16%, due to additional government support measures.

Growth in European ethanol production.

There was no change in the total number of Member States—11—producing bioethanol fuel. Finland’s lack of production in 2006 was offset by the Czech Republic producing ethanol for the first time.

eBio expects to see an increase in the number of countries producing ethanol this year and next. The association estimates the EU consumed just over 1.7 billion liters of ethanol in 2006. Brazil accounted for just over 230 million liters of the imported volume.

Among the plants being planned, Iran is building Europe’s first ethanol refinery in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Iran cannot cultivate corn due to the shortage of water, according to Managing Director of Mashal Khazar Darya (MKD) Esmaeil Shahmir. The US$150 million contract guarantees the allocation of a parcel of land to the project for 50 years. The fuel will be exported to Austria, Germany, and Black Sea.

Comments

At $2 per gallon production cost and gasoline selling at over $5 per gallon, eastern Europe could produce lots of ethanol and make lots of money. I would rather see the money go to the Czech Republic than to Saudi Arabia.

Wow! I never thought that Europe could produce that much ethanol considering they don't have the big amounts of farmland that the USA has. Still, at least it's a start. Things will get better though for USA and European ethanol production once we phase in cellusoic ethanol technology.

Much of Euro production is from sugar beets. It has 2x the yield per acre of farmland vs corn, and has roughly the same energy balance. Spain and Italy are also experimenting with sweet sorghum (~2x yield/acre, much better energy balance, and lower water/precip requirements vs corn).

Its sad that ethanol is getting so popular. What if we all started to use ethanol? There would be very few places to grow food, very high prices on food and the taking down of forests all over the world would increase even moore though we need the woods to iluminate some of the carb that we still let out...i hope the hybrid next generation will step up its start of production date and maybee the hydrogen generation will come even faster also.

The eBio publication says 230 million liters, corresponding to 13.5% of total ethanol demand, were imported from Brazil. The implication appears to be that the balance was produced in the EU. That, however, does not mean all of the required feedstock was also produced there!

Even more so than in the US, the European ethanol market is heavily skewed by farm subsidies and import tariffs. After losing a WTO case, the EU is no longer permitted to subsidize the production of sugar beets as a foodstuff quite as much. Ethanol fuel turns the crop into a non-food agricultural, which gets farmers around the WTO verdict. France is among ethanol's most vocal cheerleaders in the EU.

Biofuel EROEI is much higher in tropical countries (e.g. Brazil) and should be encouraged provided capacity expansion does not come at the expense of rainforest acreage.

I guess once we have completely exhaused our farmlands and prairies, we can proceed to chop up and clear our wilderness areas? Anything to satisfy our insatiable thirst for fuel. I would find it much more impressive if we saw reports of how much farmland we had saved last year by not consuming fuel.

I am sorry but I do not understand how people can be so enthusiastic about this development. Around where I live, there is precious little land devoted to fruits and vegetables, those crops which are not subidized. Will these be plowed under too to make room for yet more corn for yet more ethanol? Even without the issue of ethanol, all this subsidization of the corn crop has a lot to do with the unhealthy nature of Americans' diets. Corn syrup, anyone?

Cellulose ethanol will allow corn for food and corn stalks for fuel. You can have both with the same farm land. Those of you that have been reading this site know about the US study on 1 billion tons of biomass ever year in the US. That could be enough for 100 of the 150 billion gallons of fuel the US uses just from the cellulose. Like many things, it is HOW you do it as much as what you do that counts.

Exactly my point, SJC. Cellulosic ethanol would free up food that would be used for fuel. Take that recent newsbrief about sugarcane bagasse being used for ethanol production in Brazil. That's proof that cellulosic ethanol can not only work but also mean that food is not taken out of starving mouths.

From what I have read, sugar (is what Brazil uses) is the most efficient to produce ethanol. Hawaii, I'm sure will be growing the bulk of that for us (and I'm guessing Florida and California will see increases)
As far as prices go, it has to go up (simple supply and demand) for the whole grain complex (pardon the pun). Soy and wheat will go up as well (we will be increasing 15% planting corn this year) as less acres will be allocated. Throw some drought into the equation and watch the prices soar.
Mexicans are already protesting that their tortilla prices have sky rocketed. Farmers are concerned about feed prices for their livestock. Hopefully genetic engineering and a hellva lot of Miracle grow will ease a little pain when inflation sets in.

WE ARE SUGAR EXPORTERS FROM BRASIL AND THE MEXICO GOVERNMENT HAS
COME TO US FOR CORN BECAUSE THE DANGEROUS GENETICALLY MODIFIED
CORN AND OTHER CONTAMINATED UNCONTROLLABLE CROPS BY A CERTAIN
GREED INFECTED YANKEE CORPORATION ARE ENDANGERING WORLD FOOD
SECURITY, WHILE MASSIVE PETRO DOLLARS ARE NOW AFTER OUR FOOD
CROPS....ESPECIALLY SUGAR AND CORN.

THAT GREEDY MULTI NATIONAL IS ALSO CONTAMINATING CANOLA, WHEAT,
SOYBEANS, RICE AND EVERYTHING ELSE THEY CAN INVADE AND HAVE DEFEATED
LABELLING AND LIABILITY MANDATES. THIS IS A DANGEROUS GENETIC INVASION OF BIODIVERSITY THAT WILL DESTROY OUR FOOD WHEN BLIGHTS HIT AND FAMINE WILL RESULT....

WE ARE SUGAR EXPORTERS FROM BRASIL AND THE MEXICO GOVERNMENT HAS
COME TO US FOR CORN BECAUSE THE DANGEROUS GENETICALLY MODIFIED
CORN AND OTHER CONTAMINATED UNCONTROLLABLE CROPS BY A CERTAIN
GREED INFECTED YANKEE CORPORATION ARE ENDANGERING WORLD FOOD
SECURITY, WHILE MASSIVE PETRO DOLLARS ARE NOW AFTER OUR FOOD
CROPS....ESPECIALLY SUGAR AND CORN.

THAT GREEDY MULTI NATIONAL IS ALSO CONTAMINATING CANOLA, WHEAT,
SOYBEANS, RICE AND EVERYTHING ELSE THEY CAN INVADE AND HAVE DEFEATED
LABELLING AND LIABILITY MANDATES. THIS IS A DANGEROUS GENETIC INVASION OF BIODIVERSITY THAT WILL DESTROY OUR FOOD WHEN BLIGHTS HIT AND FAMINE WILL RESULT....